Toyota, NTT to team up on AI-aided driving software to curb accidents

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp said Thursday they will join hands to develop a platform using artificial intelligence-supported driving software aimed at reducing vehicle accidents.

Japan's auto and telecommunications giants, which formed a capital alliance to build energy-efficient "smart cities" in 2020, plan to invest a combined 500 billion yen in the project. Research and development of the software will be launched next year, a step that can lead to self-driving technology.

The two companies seek to put the software into practical use around 2028, with widespread adoption expected two years later.

"We will accelerate efforts to change the future of vehicles through the establishment of an AI and communication platform that supports the mobility society," Toyota President Koji Sato said in a news conference.

As part of efforts to realize "a society with zero traffic accidents," Sato said it is necessary to anticipate the risks of accidents.

The AI technology is expected to collect driving data, analyze potential accidents and autonomously control vehicles using it to prevent collisions, according to the firms.

As the software needs to process vast amounts of data, to speed up the process, the firms plan to adopt NTT's next-generation Innovative Optical and Wireless Network communication platform.

NTT President Akira Shimada said the two companies seek to make cars "smarter and safer" using AI that learns from information gathered through the platform.

"Given that Toyota and NTT are global companies, we aim to build this platform and broaden its reach internationally," Shimada said.

Asked about the platform's potential in advancing self-driving technology, Sato said Toyota will proceed gradually, building on its current efforts to enhance driving assistance systems.

Toyota and NTT have been jointly developing "connected cars" equipped with advanced telecommunication systems since 2017.

© KYODO